Faster Than Lightning
by Ashe Corinthos
Summary: A storm causes Len to find out about one of his best friend's worst fears... and a few other things reveal themselves in a flash. (LenXRin noncest one-shot.)


"'Attack while it's tail is up, it'll counterattack with its laser.' Yeah, _that_ makes a lot of sense." Len grouses, shaking his head, as his characters are mauled by the tail of the robotic creature on screen. "Seriously, Rin? Why are you making me play a game older than us?"

The blonde, poofy-bow-wearing girl beside him on the couch sticks her tongue out at him. "So you can experience the original game, before the remake comes out. You can't just play the new version of Final Fantasy VII and never try the first one!" She exclaims.

"Yeah, I guess..." He says, blowing a lock of cornsilk-colored hair out of his face while somehow killing the confusing boss.

As the characters are doing their victory dance, Rin gets up. "I'm going to go get a snack. Want anything, Len?"

"Nah," He shakes his head no, not really paying attention.

She disappears into the kitchen behind him, and Len continues the game, ignoring the pattering of heavy rain in the background. _Supposed to be a huge storm tonight..._ He remembers vaguely. _Probably have to spend the night here._ Luckily, as he and Rin have been friends for several years, it's nothing new to him. He sighs.

Suddenly, the lights flicker, and then go out, leaving Len in pitch black. "Oh, come on, really?" He complains, frowning at the now-black TV screen. He drops the controller. "I didn't even get to save..."

"Len?" He hears Rin call out to him.

"Still in the living room," He responds, leaning back into the cushioned back of the leather couch.

He hears footsteps approaching, and Rin lets out a startled 'ow!' as she bumps into something unseen. A small light shines over his head, and he turns to see the girl wandering toward him with a flashlight, her sock-clad feet softly padding over the wood.

"The storm must be really bad if it knocked out the power..." Rin says with worry, her eyes glinting faintly in the glow of the flashlight.

"Yeah, maybe. I'm sure it'll-" Len starts to answer, when an extremely bright white flash fills the room for an instant, followed by a loud, thunderous _boom_.

"Oh, no."

Len blinks as Rin's hand begins shaking, and he can only stare as she drops the flashlight, her hands rising to cover her face.

"Oh, no no no."

"Rin?" He asks, confused.

Instead of responding, she turns and takes off at a high-speed run. "Rin!" He yells after her, taken aback by her reaction.

 _Is she... scared of the lightning?_ Len realizes.

 _Oh, boy. I better go find her... She's probably hiding somewhere..._

"Rin?" He gets off the couch, picking up the discarded flashlight and shining it about the room and into the hallway where Rin had gone. "Rin, where are you?"

 _There aren't too many places she can hide in._ Rin lives in a two-story house, but it's rather small, only three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs and the living room, dining room, and kitchen below.

He starts by searching the dining room, finding nothing but dust bunnies. Another rumble of thunder rolls through, and he begins to feel true concern for his friend. He'd never seen her react to something like that. Usually she acts so tough. Rin watches horror movies all the time and can tell a ghost story scary enough to keep you from sleeping, yet she's afraid of lightning? It's almost laughable. Yet, Len doesn't really find it funny.

 _I bet she's in her room. If I were her, I'd probably hide out in there somewhere... I hope.  
_

With that thought in mind, he starts up the stairs.

Rin's room is the first on the right, and the door is currently shut tight. He knocks loudly as to be heard over the relentless storm overhead, but receives no response. "Rin, it's me!" He attempts.

A few more moments of nothing, and he tosses courtesy to the wind and opens the door. Rin's bright orange bed is what greets him first. A closet is to the far left, and a vanity table and dresser to the right. He scans the flashlight over the thick yellow-carpeted floor, trying to see any sign of her.

Lifting her bedspread and peering below, he sees nothing under the bed either. Letting out a frustrated noise, Len groans and straightens up. _Where else could she be?_

His blue eyes slide to the closet. _I wonder..._

Slowly, he wanders to the slatted, pale yellow door, and he grips the glass doorknob. Yanking it open, he shines the flashlight inside.

Rin jumps in terror as Len suddenly appears, letting out a squeaky scream/gasp combination. Her arms are wrapped tightly around herself, and her ocean eyes are wild and afraid, wet with tears. Len almost takes a step back; he has never, ever seen her look so frightened. For a moment, he feels a bit peeved at himself for not knowing such a crucial fact about his best friend.

Lightning strikes outside, creating that loud crash of sound once more. "Eyaaah!" She screams.

Rin's hands are somehow on his shirt then, and he stumbles inside the closet as she pulls him forward. The flashlight bounces and rolls into the nearby wall, going out, and he lands on his hands and knees. In the next second, Rin slams the closet door shut once more.

Grumbling to himself, Len straightens in the cramped space. Her closet is pretty small, and he's almost right on top of Rin's legs as well as the wall. He tries to maneuver himself into a more comfortable and less awkward position, glancing at her.

Rin has now pulled her knees up to her chest, her hands tightly pressed to her face to block out the heavy noises and flashes of light outside. Her entire body is trembling. Len's expression softens.

"Rin...?" He says quietly, reaching over and lightly touching her arm. "Rin, are you okay?"

No answer. He tries again. "Rin?"

 _Flash. Boom._

"Eeyaaaah!" Out of nowhere, Rin throws herself into Len's arms, her hands gripping the back of his shirt and her face buried in the white material at the crook of his neck.

"R-Rin-?" He stutters, his face rapidly changing color, unsure what to do in this type of situation.

As the rumbling subsides a bit, Rin pulls back, letting go tentatively. Tears have stained her porcelain face. She looks utterly terrified. "S-sorry..." He hears her speak for the first time. Her voice is like leaves rustling in the wind; barely audible at all. "I... I just..."

Sympathy runs through Len. _She really is scared of lightning... _

He's not sure what he's doing, but his body acts according to a will he isn't in control of. Gently he tugs Rin back into his arms, encasing her warmly against his chest. Len can hear her shaky breathing, and feel the trembling in her entire figure. "It's okay," Len finds himself saying, as she becomes stiff and confused. "You should have told me. I'll protect you from the storm."

Rin hesitates a second more before melting, and he feels droplets fall onto his shirt. Rin cries silently, a bit calmer than she was, and shudders when another bright strike of lightning bursts into her room, coming through the slits in her door and coloring her tears in a silvery glow. Len tightens his grasp on her, and tenderly plants a kiss on the crown of her head before realizing. _Wait, what am I doing...?_ He wonders to himself, blushing. _I wonder if this is making my feelings for her really obvious? If it is, at least she's too scared to notice..._

For far too long, Len's had a huge crush on Rin. It started back in fifth grade, when she kicked another boy in the shin after he yanked on Len's ponytail and called him a girl. That's how they became friends; his feelings were small then, not really there, buried and forgotten for awhile to grow until they could no longer be ignored. Now, they sit at the tip of his tongue waiting to be said, but are forced down into the depths of his mind. It'd just make everything weird, right? The last thing he wants to do is screw up their rather steady friendship over his unrequited romantic feelings.

He shifts uncomfortably. "R-Rin, um, if you don't want me to-"

"Please." Her voice, small and thin, reaches his ears. She doesn't look up, but her warm breath is creating a strangely nice pool of warmth on his shirt. "Please, just- don't let go." Her hands, which she had withdrawn before, reach up and grip onto the tops of his sleeves.

"...Okay." Len says, blushing even worse than before.

In silence, the two just sit there, Rin curled into Len's arms. The storm rages outside, not showing any real signs of stopping.

"...Len?" Rin says quietly.

"Y-yeah?" He answers quickly, his eyes turning down to see her; unfortunately, her face is hidden in shadow.

"I, um..." She pauses. "...Thanks. For doing this. I don't really know why you are, but I'm... kinda glad."

"It's nothing..." She seems to have calmed down, and she only slightly jumps at the lightning now. He wouldn't do anything less if it meant she wasn't crying in fear. Still, it makes him feel weird hearing her say it like that.

Rin continues. "It's kinda odd, but I'm actually... I don't really mind this. I feel... safe." She confesses slowly. "You always make me feel safe when I'm with you. I don't really know what to make of it... Do I sound like I'm making any sense?" She wonders.

He can feel the heat build in his face, radiating out hotter than an open oven and rising to color the tips of his ears. _W-what is she even saying?!_

Before he can reply, she lightly lifts her head up, her darkened azure eyes meeting his. "I..."

His own widen in surprise. _She's- she's blushing! Why?_

"You're such a good friend," Rin says, not looking away. His heart does a strange dance in his chest. "You're... always taking care of me. Even now, you're not really mad I didn't tell you I was scared of-" She swallows thickly. "-lightning. You're always so sweet. I don't really understand why, but when I'm around you, I feel safe and warm, and I really like it. I wish I knew why." She chuckles strangely.

"R-Rin, uh..." His tongue doesn't seem to know how to cooperate.

Rin suddenly shakes her head roughly. "Um, never mind, I'm sure I'm just saying a lot of nonsense..." Her face darkens.

"Wait-" He begins, not sure what he's about to say but not wanting to just drop the subject, feeling a bit overwhelmed with the confusing information she's just given him.

 _Flash._

"Ah!" Taken off guard, Rin jumps forward into Len's safety.

Because of her unplanned jump and their close proximity, Len is flabbergasted to realize the warmth on his mouth is from Rin's. The two kind of just sit there, accidentally lip-locked. Their eyes stare in astonishment into each other's, and a mad blush creeps up like lava to ignite the two teenagers' expressions. Time seems to stop.

Rin's the one who pulls away first, their lips parting with a soft wet noise. Her beautiful blue eyes are huge and just as shocked as his, mirroring his emotions perfectly. Her mouth moves silently, opening and closing as she tries to find words.

Len's not really sure how this happened, but it was like that little accidental kiss lit a fire in him. As Rin looks away in embarrassment and starts to distance herself from him, his body moves on its own. His hands move up to her cheeks, making her face him again, his expression serious.

"L-?" Is the only sound she can make, because in the next second, he covers her mouth with his. Capturing her lips gently but with an underlying passion, Len leans in and takes control of the situation, slanting his lips against hers and savoring the sweetness of oranges and Rin. His heart thumps painfully in his chest, and he relishes the softness of her skin under his fingertips and the scent of her citrus perfume. Rin stiffens in shock, but after a moment responds to his touch, her fingers wrapping around his wrists, her lips moving with his out of surprise or want, he isn't sure. It feels amazing as well as weird, and he just can't stop himself from tasting her, getting a startled noise in reply.

When they both finally break apart for air, Len takes in the dust of faint red color on Rin's pale cheeks and the dazed expression she has from their impromptu makeout session. It's about then that he realizes he just made out with _Rin._ Not only did he steal not one, but _two_ kisses from his blonde best friend, but he also just totally took advantage of her while she was afraid. Guilt takes over instantly.

"Rin..." He starts to mumble, and the heat he felt kissing Rin makes its way to his face, embarrassment veiling his features. "I..."

"You actually just... We..." The words tumble from Rin's lips as she comes back to her senses, shaking off the shock. Her eyes blink rapidly, and she leans away into the shadows, something Len fears. In the dark, it's hard to tell whether she's angry with him or just surprised. His pulse picks up the pace.

"Look, Rin," Len begins, his eyes finding themselves directed to the carpeted floor as he speaks, the emotions he's kept secret for years spilling out in a rush. "We've been friends for forever, and I've always kind of had this- these feelings, y'know, and I get it if you don't return them. I don't want this to mess up our friendship, which I might've already done." Desperation has begun to lace through his voice. _I screwed up, I screwed up so bad,_ his mind chants in a dissonant harmony.

"You... really...?" Rin says, her eyes shining in the faint light, the only thing that he can really see. Her words are quiet, thoughtful. A good sign? He's almost going insane from not knowing what she's thinking. "Len, do you really... feel that way?" There's no edge to the question, nothing to indicate what she wants to hear or how to respond.

Len nods, but then realizing she probably can't see it, swallows thickly and speaks. "Y-yeah. I do."

"...Me too." What? _What?_ Len stares at the gleaming blue eyes trained on him, disbelieving what he's hearing. "I... for you, I..." She seems to be struggling to speak, her own feelings making themselves difficult to express, and he imagines she's blushing. He wants to _see_ her _face,_ dammit. He wants to pull her close so he can see what she's feeling. Unfortunately, he's worried he'll kiss her again, because that's exactly what his body is screaming at him to do.

It kind of dawns on Len at that moment that her words from earlier make more sense. She'd practically already confessed to him. Suddenly, the most intense happy feeling he's ever felt flows through his chest.

Rin moves out of the darkness then, and he can finally take in her expression. She's still blushing, but there's a light smile playing on her peach-colored, rather soft lips.

"I like you, Len." She admits softly, causing butterflies to go wild in his stomach.

Len does something she doesn't expect; he reaches out and hugs her, drawing the girl to his chest with gentleness. "I like you, too, Rin." He replies, hoping it doesn't sound as cheesy as he thinks it does.

They comfortably stay like that a moment, before Rin speaks up. "It looks like... the storm has stopped." She remarks, noticing the sound of rain has considerably decreased and the rumbling of thunder has faded. "I guess we could leave the closet now."

Len smirks into her hair. "Or... we could hang out for a few more minutes," He suggests, earning the girl's gaze. It takes a second for her to see what he's implying, and then her entire face turns cherry red.

As she sputters, Len kisses her forehead and laughs.

* * *

A/N: What am I doing with this. This didn't exactly go the way I intended but 'ey whatever works, amirite?

I've literally been working on this _ONE_ one-shot for _two_ _months._ Unfortunately, I started it back before EBTES (Which, if you don't know, is my 100 RinLen drabble collection). and then EBTES took up my every ounce of writing ability, and I kinda of added a word here and there of this until finally, I sat here and said _c'mon Ashe get it together and freakin' finish this, good grief._ And so, here is a fluffy LenRin one-shot for your reading pleasure, with a super cheesy end. I have a few other projects I may or may not write (ranging from fluff to dark), and hopefully I'll upload one or the other sooner or later. Heh. Maybe. *laughs nervously with shifty eyes*

ANYWAYS! Hope you enjoyed, and leave a review if you want. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you in another work!

(Btw EBTES has almost 10,000 views omg guys thank you I love you all.)

Read on~!

~Disclaimer~ I own rainstorms and passionate kisses only, as well as 'supposedly' unrequited love. Len and Rin are, sadly, not my own... yet.


End file.
